There are no "copyright folks" at the NFL. What you need is the licensing department and all the contact information is at the related link below (you'll need a pdf reader.)
Under US law, yes. A work is protected by copyright as soon as it is created, and it would be a violation of copyright to copy IN ANY WAY even an unpublished draft work without the consent of the copyright holder.
"Copyright obtained" is an unnecessarily wordy way of saying the material is protected by copyright.
no way
Although it is not required for protection, the copyright symbol is a way to denote the copyright year and rightsholder of a work, such as at the bottom of this page, where it says "Copyright (c) 2011 Answers Corporation."
Copyright gives the creator of a work control over its use. A license is a way the copyright owner can allow others to use the work.
Using protected materials is legal if you have an exemption in the law or permission from the copyright holder.
The only way to register for a copyright in the US is through the Copyright Office within the Library of Congress. See the link below for information and forms.
yes
no
Copyright registration in Delhi protects copyright from infringement. Copyright registration provides legal protection that ensures that no one else can use copyright in any way without the permission of the owner. You can also transfer the copyright to anyone else. Copyright helps to protect and reward the rights of authors by rewarding and protecting their work.
It depends on your relationship with it. If copyright is the way you make money to feed yourself, it's pretty darn important.
The only way of knowing would be to ask the copyright holder. There is no public record.